The Alliance FFA Food Science team competed at the national level on October 24 and 25 at the National FFA Convention in Indianapolis, Indiana, and came away with a silver rating. The team consisted of AHS graduate Hannah Kesterson, senior Ashtyn Shrewsbury, and juniors Krista Carter and Connor Wright. Individually, Krista Carter and Connor Wright received bronze ratings, Ashtyn Shrewsbury received a gold rating, and Hannah Kesterson received a gold and was also named the National Food Science Champion Individual.

The team began competition Wednesday, October 24, with competitors taking a fifty question, multiple-choice exam. The exam tested participants over various aspects of the food science industry. The test required extensive knowledge of both food safety and food quality laws and regulations and a strong biology background. All four members of the team agreed that the test was “Very challenging.”

On the second day of competition, the team participated in the individual portion of the test and in the team product development area. The team had to determine if consumer complaint letters were food quality or food safety issues and what type of problem the issue presented. They also had to identify ten safety issues in a series of photographs.

The second part of the individual contest was the sensory evaluation.  The competitors had to identify four aromas from a list of over twenty smells. The four aromas ended up being clove, ginger, grape, and raspberry. In the triangle tests, students had to identify the product that was different from the other two.  The three triangle tests were grape juice and grape Kool-Aid, salted and unsalted Wheat-Thin crackers, and two different brands of Honey Snap cereal. The final area of the sensory evaluation was flavor identification. The three flavors that had to be identified were orange, cherry, and peppermint.

The team product development was the only area that allowed the team to work together; they had to create a refrigerated side salad that appealed to the Baby Boomer generation. The team had to create a label, determine the nutritional values of the product, set a reasonable, yet competitive, price and make and package the salad, all in one hour. The team then had to present their product to a panel of judges, which included a product developer from Kraft Foods Company. The team had to adequately cover all aspects of the product in a five-to-ten minute presentation. They also had to respond to ten minutes of questioning from the judges.

The team performed very well at Nationals add defeated many odds to even be able to participate at the national level especially considering that there are approximately 540,000 members in the National FFA Organization and less than one percent of all members are given the opportunity to compete on the national stage.  AHS FFA Advisor Lori Walla said, “It’s just awesome that [the team] was able to achieve competition on the National level. Anything after that was ‘frosting on the cake.’”

Walla believes team achieved success because “Each member brings special attributes to the team. Ashtyn and Krista are both ‘drivers and pushers.’ Hannah brings cooperation and poise. Connor brings his art ability. All four bring their wisdom and dedication to the team.”

Congratulations to the Alliance FFA Food Science team.